Purer Than Pure
by CookieDecor22
Summary: After witnessing her house burn down in flames, Saya moves to live in a new town faraway. Everyone in the neighborhood is nice, but something gives Saya a sense of fear and terror like the fire. When she finds out the truth behind it, Saya will never look at the world the same way again... [HIATUS]
1. A New Life in a New Town

**2012-09-30, 15:58**

* * *

Saya stared blankly at the remains of her house.

"Tou-sama, what's going to happen to us now?"

"Not much," replied Tadayoshi. "Saya, we're not the only victims here. Everyone down this block has had their homes burned down to dust. Some of them even lost a few family members."

It was late at night, almost twelve o'clock midnight, and Saya couldn't imagine how she would survive without her home. The image of the blaze engulfing her house and everything she had in it was gone. **Completely** gone.

"But what are we going to do now?"

Tadayoshi sighed as he handed an envelope to Saya. "This was from a friend of mine who said that she would be glad to take us in for the time being while our homes are being rebuilt We'll be staying in the shrine of her hometown for the time being. A car will come by soon to pick us up, for it takes about six hours to get there."

Despite being reluctant to leave her home, Saya took the envelope and read over the letter. She angrily stuffed in her pocket and didn't say a word.

"The car's here."

Saya's eyes focused on the beams of light hitting the walls as a car drove by and stopped in front of her and Tadayoshi. The car stopped rumbling, and a man stepped out of the driver's seat.

"Miss Kisaragi, your ride is here."

"**My** ride?" Saya looked at him and asked, "Tou-sama, what's going on?"

"Saya, you'll be going to my friend's house first.I have to stay behind just in case the neighborhood inspectors need information on the fire and such. Now get on the car."

"But Tou-sama, where will you be staying?"

"I don't know yet. Until matter here have been cleared up, I can't go with you yet. Just remember. Look for a woman with long, emerald green hair with a plum blossom hair clip."

"Okay, Tou-sama. I will."

And that was the last time Tadayoshi saw his daughter. After the chauffeur escorted her into the backseat and drove off, she was gone.

**[~[~F~]~]**

_"__See you later__!"_

_"Good night!"_

_Saya hung up the phone after a long chat with a friend. She walked downstairs to the kitchen to get a glass of water._

_"Saya, how come you're not in bed yet?"_

_"Sorry! I just finished talking on the phone with someone, and __I'm__ very thirsty."_

_"Well, go to bed soon. It's almost midnight."_

_"Not even! There's still at least an hour or so."_

_"Saya..."_

_"Yes, __Tou-sama__. Let me finish my water."_

_Once Saya had finished her glass of water, she __**still**__ felt pretty thirsty. How long have I been talking on the phone? She went over to turn on the sink, but very little water came out. After a few minutes, there was no water at all._

_"__Tou-sama__! There's no water!'_

_"Might as well use the last bit of water in your cup to brush your teeth."_

_Saya went to the bathroom with the cup of water in her hands. As she was squeezing toothpaste out of the tube onto her toothbrush, the ground began to rumble._

_"__Tou-sama__! What was that?"_

_"Must be a minor earthquake. Let me go outside and see."_

_Saya brushed her teeth in fear of what was going to happen. First the water ran out, and now it's an earthquake. Did a water pipe explode and leak? Just as Saya was about to put her toothbrush into her mouth, her father ran back into the house frantically._

_"Saya, bad news! The entire block is on fire! Nobody knows when and where the fire started, but there's a huge fire that will be burning our way."_

_"Fire?" Saya looked out the tiny bathroom window but saw nothing but a dark sky. "There's no fire. Not even a single sign of smoke of bright light."_

_"I don't care if you don't see a any signs of a fire. There is a __**fire**__, and we need to go __**now.**__"_

_Tadayoshi left early, leaving Saya behind in the bathroom. As she brushed her teeth, the water faucet began squeaking. What's wrong with the faucet? Is there water? All of a sudden, fire erupted from the faucet, making Saya fall back in horror. This can't be happening. I must be dreaming._

_Saya attempted to put out the fire with the glass of water she had, but that only made the fire even worse and more scarlet. Not only that, all the other water faucets in the house began spouting fire as well. Running for her life, Saya quickly ran up to her room to get her sword._

_When she opened the door, her room was in a total mess. Fire spread from her window was mysterious open to the shelves by the door. Trails of scarlet fire came after Saya, and in total terror, she ran downstairs as fast as could to get away from them. However, Saya tripped on the last stair, for the fire was able to wrap around her leg like a thick, creeping vine._

_"Let go of me!" Saya's struggling only aggravated the fire and caused burn marks on her ankle. __Despite the injuries, Saya kept kicking her feet back in forth to let go until she hit the metal hinge of a cabinet door.__Blood spilled from her shin, but when it came in contact with the flames, the fire sizzled violently but__ soon disappeared._

_What was it that just happened? __I really need to get out of here. Saya's last hope was to charge through the front door, which was partially blocked by fallen burning debris. She succeeded in doing so, but the experience was just too terrifying to recall at the moment. Saya hugged her father tightly as the fire spread through the rest of the block,_

**[~[~F~]~]**

"Miss Kisaragi?"

_No...don't come any closer. I'll stab you to death in the worst way ever._

"Miss Kisaragi?"

_One step closer, and I won't be so decisive about my next actions.__ Get the heck away from me!_

"Miss Kisaragi, your stop is here!"

"What?!"

Saya woke and sat up from her seat after the chauffeur yelled at her. _Thank goodness it was just a dream._ She looked around to see a neighborhood similar to her own but with a more modern sense to it.

"Where am I?"

"Welcome to the town of Kiyomizu Shrine. I can only drop you off here."

_This wasn't a dream..._

Saya took her bags and got out of the car sleepily. It was around midnight when she had got on the car, and right now was around sunrise. _Tou-sama__ was right. It __**does**__ take six hours to get here...maybe even more._ Most of the buildings around here were residential units, but what Saya wanted to find was Kiyomizu Shrine.

_If only __Tou-sama__ c__a__me with me, I'd feel a lot safer, _she thought. _But I also want to go back to Ukishima as soon as possible._ Saya set off by finding the tallest building in the area and walking toward it. The roads didn't look complicated, but getting to that building took a long time.

Eventually, the sun was up high in the sky, yet Saya still hadn't reached her destination. _How long do I have to walk until I get there?_ She took a seat on the sidewalk and took out her thermos of water that the chauffeur gave her. Her right shin was still in pain from the cabinet hinge, but it didn't bleed or hurt as much anymore. _I really need to reapply bandages to my wound or it'll get infected._ There wasn't much water left, and Saya **still** hasn't seen anyone around the neighborhoods that she can ask for help from.

"I must be walking around in circles," Saya sighed. "There's no way that a building can still be far away from you no matter how long you walked. What else is in the bag of stuff that the chauffeur gave me?"

Inside the traveler's bag was the thermos, a folder paper with directions written by her father and someone else, possibly the chauffeur, some gummy snacks, and a map. "Finally! Something useful for me to use." She spread the map down on the sidewalk next to her and observed. "There's a theater by the corner, so I'm here, which means the shrine is over-"

"Watch out!"

Saya looked up to see a young man running toward her and stepped aside. Luckily, she didn't get hurt, but the map she laid down on the ground was in tattered pieces. The area where the theater was on the map was fine, but the location of Kiyomizu Shrine was badly scratched out."

_What am I going to do now? My last chances of getting to the shrine is now ruined._ Saya squatted down beside the useless map and stared. The young man from earlier walked over to Saya.

"I'm so sorry,. Did I ruin your map by accident?"

"Actually, I-"

"You know, I'd be happy to help you get to where you want to go to make up for what I did. You're not from around here, aren't you?"

"No, I'm not. If you don't mind, can you help me get to Kiyomizu Shrine?"

"Kiyomizu Shrine? Why there?"

"I need to see someone really badly. What's wrong with going to the shrine?"

"N-Nothing. Sure, I'll take you there, since I'm no longer in a hurry. By the way, I didn't get your name."

"My name? Saya Kisaragi."

"Well, good morning to you, Saya. I'm Fumito Nanahara."

And off they went to Kiyomizu Shrine to find the green-haired woman whom Tadayoshi said was his friend...


	2. Scary Premonition

**2013-02-13, 20:00**

* * *

"Just...few...more...blocks...ugh!"

Despite being a local of Kiyomizu, even Fumito didn't know the most direct way to Kiyomizu Shrine. It was a pure optical illusion and brain teaser to assume that walking in the direction of where you **think** you **see** the shrine is the fastest way there, but that was only logic that applied to how the crow flies. Fumito, on the hand, was a terrible tour guide and a mess.

"Fumito-san, why don't we stop for now? I'm tired."

"I agree." Fumito took out two glass bottles of soft drinks. "Thank goodness I carried bottles of ramune with me. Lemon-lime or mango?"

"Mango, please."

Saya and Fumito opened their bottle and devoured the drink fast. Kiyomizu was built on a hillside. In addition to the time wasted in getting to the temple by foot in circles around the same place, Saya and Fumito were also walking **uphill**.

"Saya, I apologize for wasting so much time, but even I get really confused sometimes. The temple is built in the middle of this town, not in the middle of a direction-less forest. I **will** take you there. Just give me some more time."

"It's okay, Fumito-san. You didn't have to help me. But I am in a hurry to see the shrine maiden, so I'll pay you back the favor someday."

Fumito shook his head and stood up. "Let's not talk about this now. I'm certain that we **will** arrive at the temple. Come on."

And Fumito was right. In a few minutes, he and Saya **did** arrive at the shrine. Kiyomizu Shrine looked similar to the Ukishima Shrine, which made Saya think back about her home and her father. However, she didn't let those memories weigh her down and walked to the front gates.

"Thanks for helping me, Fumito-san." Saya waved from the top of the rock stairs. "I'll most likely be staying here for a while, so I might see you again someday."

"Anytime, Saya. I own a cafe down the block called the Guimauve. Stop by when you have the time."

Saya opened the short wooden gates and walked onto the stone and pebble mosaic path. The shrine was very different from the rest of the city. There were luxurious greenery and foliage all around. The birds chirped to the rhythm of the wind chimes. This wasn't just a shrine; it was a garden of natural beauty.

"Hello? Anyone here?" Saya called. After a moment of silence, the sound of footsteps came close.

"Hi there." said a voice from behind the screen door. "Come in. I've been expecting you."

_Expecting me? _Saya walked up to the front porch and took her shoes off. The door slid open to revealed an emerald-haired woman. Her hair was tied partially in loops and held with a plum blossom clip. She wore a grass green kimono with pale sakura flower designs and a brown-white sash. "Hello. Are you-"

"Please, sit down. You must be tired."

"I am."

The woman went over to the tea table and poured two cups of green tea. "You must be Saya. I'm Kagusa Hisuidou, shrine maiden of Kiyomizu. Your father said you were coming."

"He told me to look for a woman with emerald green hair, which I assume is you. Thank you, Hisuidou-san."

"Call me Kagusa. Anyway, when I heard about the fire that hit upon Ukishima, I was so shocked. How could something like happen all of a sudden?"

"I know, right? What's worse what the the fire somehow traveled to the pipes into the sinks. So much for brushing my teeth."

Kagusa put her hand on her chin and pondered. "I've seen weird anomalies before, but I have never seen something as terrible as this. I watched on the news of a footage that some man recorded of the fire. My heart aches every time I see that."

"Anomalies?" Saya asked, twitching an eyebrow. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, I've seen fireballs in the sky, globe lightning, rivers glowing silver, some nasty plants, and so on. That fire was actually quite scary. By the way," Kagusa pulled an old envelope out from under the table. "This was mailed to me from your father but without a return address. Even if I showed you this, I wouldn't be able to send him a message."

Saya opened the envelope to find a handwritten letter from her father addressed to Kagusa but mentioning Saya's name. "When did you get this?"

"I don't know, maybe the last couple days. The townspeople and I were dealing with some problems, so I haven't been here for two days. Read it."

_Kagusa_

_I'm sure that you've heard of the fire that happened not too long ago in Ukishima. Most of the houses were destroyed, including mine. I'm sending Saya to live with you for now, since both of you are shrine maidens. _Please take care of her for me until I have found a permanent place of residence. Reparations will probably take time, so I would ask that you be patient. I apologize for the lack of a return address, but I am afraid I have none at this time_. You know what to do._

_Sincerely,_

_Tadayoshi_

"What do you think?"

Saya sighed and folded the message away back into the envelope. "I guess Tou-sama's just going to leave into the middle of nowhere. But what does he-"

A call from outside interrupted Saya. "Kagusa, are you home?"

"That sounds like the twins." said Kagusa. "Come in, you two."

The door slid open to reveal a girl with short, slightly plaited creamy-blond hair in a white short-sleeve blouse and a black lace skirt. Her olive-green eyes faced Kagusa as she said, "Kagusa, we need your help again. I think it's another broken pipe."

"**Another** broken pipe? Nono, I thought I taught you all house to mend a broken pipe. What's wrong now?"

Another girl with the same appearance with the exception of a black satin skirt stepped up. "This isn't a blade-induced leak. It's more of like a pointed-object puncture. We don't know how to mend that, and we need your help. Please, Kagusa?"

Kagusa sighed and replied. "Fine. By the way, Saya, this is Nene and Nono Motoe. Nene's wearing a stain skirt, and Nono's wearing a lace skirt. Twins, this is Saya Kisaragi. She'll be staying her with us for a while."

"Hi Saya!" the twins greeted in unison. "Welcome to Kiyomizu!"

"Hello to you, too." Saya replied. "Kagusa, I think I'll pack mys tuff away for now."

"I agree. You do that while I help the twins with a problem. I'll be back."

"See you later, Kagusa."

**[~[~T~]~]**

That night, Saya took all the belongings she brought with her and placed them in and around her room. She thought back about the letter Tadayoshi wrote and wondered if it was real. _This doesn't feel right. No way would __Tou-sama__ write such a vague letter, even if he was in a hurry. And what does he mean by__Kagusa knows what to do? The inconsistency is killing me._

"Saya! Are you there?"

_Who could be calling me at this hour? It sounds like Fumito__-san__ for some reason._ Saya looked out the window but saw no one. _Of course. This window faces the backyard._ Quietly, she descended the stairs and went outside. The air was cool and refreshing with a slight breeze. However, there was no one outside aside for the birds and crickets. _I guess there's no one here._

Suddenly, a blurry figure appeared in front of the gate. It was impossible to tell who it was under a dark night and faint moonlight. The figure turned around and faced Saya with red glowing eyes.

"Leave this place before another catastrophe occurs."

Saya gasped in shock as she watched the figure's red eyes glow brighter until it disappeared into thin air. Never has her heart beaten this fast before. _What is going on? Who was that? Something's wrong here. What did that figure mean? __What kind of catastrophe will come upon Kiyomizu__? I don't get it._

"Saya, what's going on?"

"Ah!"

Saya turned around to see Kagusa in pajamas standing in the door way. "N-Nothing. I heard some voices and came outside to see what was here. Just a false alarm."

"Good. Today's only your first day here, so you should really get a lot of rest. I still have a lot to do, and I'd really like my sleep."

"Do I have to do anything tomorrow?"

"If you mean shrine maiden duties, then no. That's all my job. You, the other hand, should go to bed and meet new people tomorrow. Come on."

"Yes, Kagusa."

Saya followed Kagusa back inside and went to her room. The night fell silent, a little too silent. In bed, Saya constantly thought about what the figure said. _How does such a being appear at the shrine anyway?__ This goes against all kinds of logic that I know of._ Still, this was only Saya's first day here, and she wanted these days to last until her father found a permanent residence. But her sudden appearance in Kiyomizu would disturb order, or at least Kagusa's order, since she was staying at the shrine. Nevertheless, this was not going to be a good place to stay in, considering the message given earlier.

_I need to get out of here __and__ find __Tou-sama before__ Kiyomizu suffers from a catastrophe like Ukishima__. __But will something horrible really hit upon here? Leaky pipes is one thing, but I know nothing of that. Something tells me that something bad __**will**__ happen, and I hope it's not because of me.__This is __**not**__ a place for me to be..._


	3. Connections and Conclusions

**2013-04-03, 17:22**

* * *

Kagusa called Saya up early next morning to meet with everyone else for a social picnic. Thus, Saya spent her early morning looking for something decent to wear because first impression are really important.

"Kagusa, I don't know what to wear." Saya dug through every article of clothing in her suitcase but found nothing decent. "All I have is my school uniform from Ukishima."

"Saya, don't stress over it." Kagusa came upstairs and picked up whichever of Saya's clothes looked the best. "I really like this peach lace shirt. If you don't mind, I'll let you borrow some of my clothes. I have a silver gingham skirt that **just** might fit you."

"Yes, please." Soon, Kagusa came back with the skirt, and Saya put her outfit on. "Kagusa, let's go."

"I'm already outside. Lock the doors." On their way down the stairs, the twins came up to them on their bikes.

"Hello Kagusa. Hello Saya." Nene greeted. "Are you going to the picnic?"

"Indeed." Kagusa replied. "I brought Saya along so she can meet everyone else."

"Great idea," Nono commented. "Come on! Let's go."

The picnic was held on a low, grassy cliff by the ocean, and people gathered there already. The only person Saya recognized was Fumito, who immediately say her & waved. "Saya! Over here! Remember me?"

"Fumito-san!" Saya sprinted over to him and bowed. "It's nice seeing you again."

"Me too. Did Kagusa bring you here?"

"More like 'invited' me over."

"I see. Everyone, I have a friend whom I want you all to meet. This is Saya Kisaragi from Ukishima. She'll be staying here for a while."

_Did he just call me his friend? And how did he know I came from Ukishima? Maybe Kasuga told him_. Saya bowed again and greeted, "I'm Saya Kisaragi. Nice to meet you all."

"Saya, this is Itsuki Tomofusa and Yuuka Amino. Shinichiro is still out of town." Fumito introduced. He looked up to see Nene, Nono, and Kagusa arrive. "You know Kagusa already, and I assume you met the twins when they went to the shrine yesterday. Ladies, over here!"

"Fumito, you don't have to shout." Kagusa replied jokingly. Saya noticed that she carried a basket that wasn't there before. _Did she stop by somewhere to pick that up?_ Once everyone was here and sat down, Fumito took out the food he brought from his cafe.

"Take whatever you'd like to eat. All the food's on me. Today, we're all here not just for the fun of it, but we're also here to discuss the recent broken pipes. Not every citizen is here because I didn't invite them, but that doesn't mean that I don't suspect any of you. It's just that I trust you over them."

"How long has this happened?" Saya asked. _Wait. If Fumito-san brought all the food, then what's in Kagusa's basket?_

"Just a couple days ago." said Itsuki. "I was watering my backyard when I first lost water."

"And all that water burst onto my house." Yuuka added. "That pipe was just a meter from our plot of land."

Kagusa shook her head. "I actually think that someone is playing a prank on us all. I think they're trying to get us off our land or something. I've seen realters do worse than this."

"But I don't know about anyone who wants to buy this plot of land." Fumito replied. "Clearly, the mayor hasn't told us any of this."

Nene shrugged. "Maybe he didn't want us to worry."

"So Saya, what made you decide to move here?" Yuuka asked.

Saya felt uneasy at the thought of what happened. "It's a terrible story. Couple of days ago, a fire spread and burned most of Ukishima down, especially the shrine where I used to be the shrine maiden there."

"You're a shrine maiden? Then you're the same as Kagusa then!" Itsuki commented.

"Now hold on right there, Itsuki." Kagusa interrupted. "We may be the same, but Saya's not allowed to perform my duties, just as how if I was in Ukishima, I'm not allowed to do what Saya's does. Anyway, I love this shortcake, Fumito. How did you make it? Is it cherry or pineapple?"

"Like any other shortcake. I added different fruits and wanted to ask you all if it tasted good because I'm planning to put that in the new menus soon. Saya, what do you think?"

She took a bite of her shortcake and swallowed. "I can vaguely taste something, but the flavor isn't enough. What flavor is this?"

"Oh no. I think you took one of the shortcakes that I forgot to label this morning. They were a part of a new line of shortcakes that I'm making. Without labels, I don't remember which is which." Fumito smacked himself on the forehead.

"Hmm. Tastes like cream at one moment and water at another."

Nono was surprised. "How can a shortcake taste like water? Let me try-"

"Nono, don't!" Fumito stuck his hand in between the girls' faces. "Saya, why don't you give it back? I'm scared that you'll eat something you're allergic to."

"I'm not allergic to anything but ."

"Please, Saya. As your friend, I don't want you getting food poisoning, especially from something **I**. Everyone, if you don't know what your shortcake exactly tastes like, please give it back to me and eat something else."

"Guys, look!" Itsuki pointing to a bubbling spot on the ocean water below them. All of a sudden, a tower of water spouted, sending fish and crabs into the air. "Please don't tell me there's a pipe under the sand."

"There's only a large sewer pipe under there, and I don't it brust." Nene explained. "I should go to town hall and report this now." She got on her bike and left.

By then, the tower of water slowly made it way to the edge of the low cliff where the picnic was and then descended into the ocean again. "Do any of you think this has to do with the pipe accidents?" Itsuki asked.

"No, but I think we should evacuate!" Kagusa ordered. "Pack up!"

She and Nono took everything and went back to town. Saya, however, was traumatized by the sight and stood in shock the way she witness the fire. _No, it can't. This can't be happening! Not another catastrophe!_

"Saya, watch out!" Fumito tried to warn Saya of the splashing waves of water, but she wasn't listening. The water immediately drew her in and made her let go of everything. After that, all Fumito saw was a flying shortcake. "Oh goodness, I bet her food is spoiled." He caught the shortcake before it landed on the water and reached for her. "Saya, grab my hand!"

"Tou-sama, is that you?" Saya's illusion overcame her, and she saw not Fumito but Tadayoshi by the fence. "Tou-sama, help me!"

"I'm right here." What appeared to her as Tadayoshi stretched out his hand, and Saya grabbed it with hers. "There you go."

"Fumito! You got her! Yuuka and I will get rope if you need it."

"No thanks, guys. I'm good. Saya will be up soon."

"Huh?!" Saya rubbed her eyes to see not her father but Fumito again. The waves hit Saya again, and she hit her arm and knees against the rocks. "Oh no, I'm bleeding and lost a shoe."

"Hang in there, Saya. You can always get new shoes. Itsuki, Yuuka, find me a first aid kit!"

For a moment, the water remained bubbling below. Just as it was going to strike again, a drop of blood trickled down Saya's knee and made it's way to her toe. A few more drop trickled, and the whole drop of blood descended into the mass of bubbles.

"It's a miracle! Look!"

The water bubbles furiously for a moment but calmed down. Everything was peaceful again, like none of this ever happened. Their hands were no longer slippery, and Fumito helped Saya come up in an instant. "Saya, watch out. We'll send you to the hospital instead."

"Thank you, Fumito-san." As Yuuka and Itsuki carried Saya on their shoulders, Saya saw the basket Kagusa carried down on the grass by the guardrail. _Why is Kagusa's basket still here? And who opened it?_ A round object protruded from the slit of the open cover, but Saya was too tired to think. Yuuka and Itsuki laid her on the paramedics' stretcher and let her rest.

Fumito leaned over the guardrail and looked down at where the bubbling water used to be. He took out a spyglass and found Saya's shoe floating traveling in circles. _Maybe I should get her shoe back somehow._ Then he zoomed in to see a spot of red growing larger and devouring the bubbles. _That's Saya's blood...what an interesting affect it has. _He put his spyglass away and left.

**[~[~T~]~]**

Saya was officially discharged from the hospital by the evening. Kagusa came to pick her up, and they took bus back to the shrine since Saya wasn't feeling well. "How are you doing?"

"A lot better, thank you. If I hadn't worn a skirt or this, my arm and leg wouldn't be this bad."

Kagusa put her arm on Saya's shoulder. "I'm sorry that I made you wear all that. The picnic **was** by the ocean, but this kind of anomaly rarely happens. Now I'm thinking of fireballs in the sky and globe lightning." She stared at Saya for a moment and said, "And that weird fire in Ukishima..."

"Y-You...you don't that think-?"

"I hope not. I watched the news in the lobby earlier, and officials are still investigating the cause of the fire. They think that while it was burning, it ran out of fuel to burn and just stopped. At least, that's what the firefighters think."

_The fire stopped burning halfway...just like the water accident today. The fire let go of me when it touched my blood, and my leg was bleeding and barefoot. _Saya gasped in shock at the connection made. "Kagusa, today's accident was no accident. Neither was that fire."

"What makes you say that?"

"Think about it. Both the fire and water were huge and potentially fatal. They would've killed us all if not stopped, but they **were** stopped. Something stopped them, but what?" Although Kagusa was the only person she trusted now in addition to Fumito, Saya was too afraid to tell Kagusa about the blood. Then Saya thought of the basket. "Kagusa, weren't you carrying a basket today?"

"That is coincidental. I think that happened in the past before, but it was a long time ago. As for the basket, it wasn't mine. Fumito messaged me halfway and told me to pick up that basket from his cafe on the outside tables. See?" Kagusa took out her phone and showed the message Fumito sent.

"Oh." For a moment there, Saya was scared that Kagusa was hiding something. The bus stopped a block away from the stairs to the Shrine, and they off the bus. "Why does Fumito-san need that basket?"

"I assumed it was food he forgot to bring."

"But there was no food inside! It wasn't even something edible."

"Well, maybe we ate the food already. Come on, it's late. I have to make dinner."

On their way up the stairs, Saya heard a voice and turned around to see that blurry figure again. _It's back! What am I supposed to do? _She remembered what it said last time and thought,_ I can't leave this place. I have no where else to go_.

"They're onto you. Leave while you still can."

And then it disappeared.

_What is going on around here?_


	4. Experimentation

**2013-06-05, 22:31**

* * *

Still scared about what happened a day ago about the water and her blood, Saya couldn't get herself to get out of bed that morning. She turned from side to side, stressed by the phenomenons that happened since the fire and the day she moved here. Kagusa ascended the stairs and knocked on Saya's door.

"Saya, wake up. We have a guest."

"A guest?" Saya put aside her worries and popped out of bed. "Who?"

Kagusa smiled, knowing that Saya would be interested. "Fumito. Now get dressed."

Saya **was** interested and immediately changed her clothes before grooming herself. She ran downstairs to see Fumito sitting down at the tea table drinking green tea. "Fumito-san! What brings you here?"

"Good morning, Saya-chan." he greeted. "I was making a delivery and decided to stop by. Pretty sure people won't mind if I don't answer the phone. How are you doing? Did yesterday cause too much trauma for you?"

"Apparently, I was scared a lot. I couldn't go to sleep, but even if I could, I wouldn't want to get nightmares." She saw the basket Fumito brought with him and recognized it as the suspicious basket from yesterday. "Fumito-san, what's that?"

"Oh yeah. Almost forgot." Saya tensed when Fumito lifted the cover, but was relieved to see that inside was just plain food, similar to the ones brought to the picnic. "Yesterday, you said that the shortcake was kind of 'bland,' so I went back to reorganize everything and found out that I gave you one that wasn't even finished making. I am so sorry."

"No wonder they don't have labels. They're not even at the stage in which they're **completed** to be given labels." Kagusa joked. "Fumito, have you considered hiring another person to help you handle the cafe?"

"Mmm!" Saya swallowed her bite of shortcake and answered. "I want to help! Please, Kagusa? I want to go!"

"I don't know. Fumito, your opinion?"

"One at a time please." Fumito took out more food, this time some fluffy pink cubes and blobs. "I also brought some guimauve and mochi with me today. Try some."

Saya reached for one of each and tasted them. "The guimauve is so fluffy and melts in my mouth, and the mochi has a soft outside but an aqueous inside. What flavor is it?"

"The guimauve has no specific flavor, but the mochi I brought is cherry-"

"Fumito," Kagusa called with a serious tone. "You're not just here to talk about and bring food for Saya, are you?"

Fumito sighed as if knowing his cover was blown. "No, I'm not. This afternoon, I'm to attend and lead a science experiment in school that involves food processes, and I was wondering if you and or Saya would like to attend."

"I actually have a meeting to attend at town hall." Kagusa replied. "Saya, if you'd like to go, you might as well go now because I have to leave soon."

"Really? Thank you, Kagu-" Saya was so excited that she accident bit her lip while eating at the same time. "Owwwwwww!"

"Saya-chan, be careful!" Fumito took out a napkin and gently dabbed Saya's lower lip. Saya felt herself blush uneasily as he did this. "There. That spot of red is gone, and thank goodness I brought ointment with me." Again, he dabbed his ointment-coated finger against Saya's lower lip. "All better."

"T-Thank you, Fumito-san." Saya scrunched her lips together went upstairs to pack some necessities. _What's wrong with me? All of a sudden, Fumito-san helps me with my injured lip. Why am I feeling this?_

However, Kagusa didn't feel the same way Saya did. "Kanako actually asked you to help with an experiment? That's a first."

"I know, right? But it involved food processes, so-"

"I don't know what you're planning to do, but Saya is still at a vulnerable state here."

"Define 'vulnerable state.'"

"You know what I mean. You'd better not bring her into too much trouble."

"I'll see to it." Once Saya came downstairs, the three went their ways for the day.

**[~[~L~]~]**

"Our special guest teacher today is Fumito Nanahara, owner of the Guimauve!"

Kanako introduced Fumito to the class and then introduced Saya. "Also, our guest classmate today is Saya Kisaragi. She'll be watching the class for today and maybe the next few days."

"Saya, remember us?" Nene asked. "Nono, Itsuki, Yuuka, and I were at the picnic with you."

Saya smiled. "Of course I do! You were one of the few people I first met-"

"Since you all know each other," Kanako interrupted. "we can all stop the talking now, can we? Everyone, to the laboratory."

The school laboratory was three doors away on the opposite side of the hallway from the classroom. Inside, the lab tables were placed with all kinds of chemistry equipment, such as burners, hot plates, flasks, test tubes, and so on. Kanako walked over to the most-prepared lab table and said, "Each person should get a pair of goggles and wash their hands. Today's experiment involves mold and food, which is why I asked Fumito to stop by because he's the culinary expert."

"Culinary, yes, but I'm no expert." Fumito answered modestly. "I read the instructions many times, and I believe I can help with the **last **part."

"Well then. We must work fast because there is a step that Fumito must demonstrate."

To Saya, the experiment was confusing but looked like any other experiment she did before. Students were required to take a piece of mold and food and put them together in a new petri dish. Then Kanako passed flashcards to the students, each with different instructions written on them.

"I will conduct the control experiment whereas everyone else will change **one** variable as said on the flashcard." Kanako explained. "Fumito, my specimen is ready."

"Thank you." Fumito grabbed her specimen with forceps and placed in an Erlenmeyer flask of boiling water. After 30 seconds, he picked up the specimen again, added a drop of broth into the flask, waited for a minute, and placed the specimen in the flask again. "Now for the tough part. When my one minute is up, I'm going to take it out again and place it hovering over but **not** touching the fire. This will also take a minute, since I'm used to the process, but if you decide to place the specimen slightly farther from the fire, you should wait for maybe two minutes. Watch."

As everyone watched Fumito carefully, Nene got bored and saw Saya also watching Fumito very attentively. "Saya, you don't even doing the experiment. Why are you watching Fumito **so** closely?"

"Huh? What did you say?"

"That just proved my point. You've been staring at Fumito all day, and Nono told me that he was at the shrine this morning. What's going on?"

"Well..." Saya flustered and answered. "I bit my lip this morning and it bled, but Fumito was there to treat it."

"And how so? Did he give you a sweet k-"

"Nonsense! He gave me some weird ointment that immediately healed the cut and helped it scar. Why would you say that?"

"Let's see. He's the first person you met and got help from in Ukishima, the person who saved you from yesterday's craze, and the person who healed your lip. Anything beyond three is a sign that it'll definitely happen, but Saya, he's twenty-something, and-"

"And that just proved **my** point. Now go back to the experiment."

"Nene Motoe, may I ask what you're doing?" Fumito demanded.

"N-Nothing. Just telling Saya what we're doing. Right?"

"Confusing, but definitely not rocket science." Saya lied.

"Good. I should go back to demonstrating."

Fumito continued, and Nene scolded herself. "Shoot! I didn't see what he did." Saya giggled as she watched Nene panic from her own mistake. But what Nene talked about earlier lingered in Saya's mind. _Nene's right. I shouldn't be thinking about all that right now when my father hasn't come back with any news yet. Oh, __Tou-sama__. Where are you?_

The students repeated what Fumito demonstrated, and most of them performed the process well. Soon, a weird smell rose in the room due to everyone working all at the same time. The rest of the experiment was too confusing for Saya to understand, and her head was hurting. "Tsutsutori-sensei, I'm not feeling well."

"Must be the fumes," she replied. "I'll take you outside for now. I can't contact Kagusa now because she's busy, so why don't you take a nap in the classroom."

"Thank you so much."

"You're welcome." Kanako stood up and faced the class. "Students, please remember to clean up after yourselves when you're finished. Don't forget to record your data and wash your hands. Fumito, I'm leaving you in charge."

As Kanako escorted Saya back to class, Saya asked, "Tsutsutori-sensei, what exactly is this experiment for? Isn't mold kind of dangerous to handle given these settings?"

"That's one thing that you won't understand unless you've taken the full course. Anything else?"

"My headache. I don't know what happened, but I feel like throwing up. I've never done this before."

"Aside from the smell of the broth and maybe the mold, I can't think of any other reason why you're reacting like this. Just take it easy. You **are** a guest, after all."

"Alright."

**[~[~T~]~]**

Fumito was the only person left in the laboratory, and he had his **own** experiments to conduct. Today's experiment with Kanako's class was only a trial for his **own **trial.

"Looks like I'm going to need more mold. That means I can't you this plate."

He walked over to the cooler and grabbed the large petri dish of mold and sealed beaker of food. Unlike the students, Fumito grabbed large, identical quantities of the mold and food and placed them together in a petri dish. Immediately, the mold slowly moved to every region of the food.

Instead of an Erlenmeyer flask, Fumito put the moldy food in a large beaker of boiling water. He repeated this morning's procedures but added more broth and turned the fire up. Moments later, the mold had spread to a little over half the food sample. Three minutes later, the mold dominated the piece of food and grew twice its original size.

"Just like what I expected. Part One may have worked, but now I have to confirm Part Two."

Fumito took out the old piece of napkin that he used this morning. He opened it all the way to see the irregular circle of pure red in the middle. He sprayed the red with water and dabbed it with a swab, enough to soak the entire cotton tip red. The swab head was later stuck into the mass of mold, which retreated a little, but the mold not only regenerated but doubled what it lost.

"Strange. I thought it'd kill the mold, but it actually assisted the reproduction."

So Fumito decided that a small, swab-sized amount wasn't enough. Fumito sprayed the circle of red with a little more water and lifted the paper up. The mold was smothered by the spot of red, and when the paper was lifted away, the mold shrunk to the size of a coin but slowly reproduced.

"Something must be wrong. Is this not pure enough?"

Fumito smelled the napkin and discovered what was wrong instantly. He was faced with not one but **two** absence of a certain variable causes destruction, as the mold dying, but the presence of that certain variable causes creation, such as the mold regenerating. Only a tiny bit of that variable was present, but it was enough to alter Fumito's desired result.

_Looks like I extracted from Saya __**more **__than just her blood. Oh, Saya. Out of all people, why me?_


End file.
